37 weeks - I'm "full term"!

Congratulations — your baby is full term! This means that if your baby arrives now, his lungs should be fully mature and ready to adjust to life outside the womb, even though your due date is still three weeks away.Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

How far along?: 37 weeks - full term!
How big is baby?: 6 pounds now!
Maternity clothes?: I love wearing dresses and sandals/flip-flops now, so much more comfortable! When I'm not wearing that, it's definitely yoga pants and a tank!
Stretch marks?: I made it 37 weeks without ANY and I finally got a little tiny one that is probably a 1/2 inch long just under my belly button. I can handle this tiny little guy, no more allowed though!
Sleep?: Just fine, except that I am so HOT. We keep the ceiling fan and a standing fan running with no covers/blankets and I still sweat.
Best moment this week?: Made some progress on the bathroom and spending time with friends & family all weekend! OH...and I'm excited that I made it full-term :)
Movement?: It slowed down for a day or so, scared me a bit...but she's back to beating me up again!
Food cravings?: Chocolate ice cream with Reese Cups and caramel...ate it probably 3 times this week! I had to give up my McDonald's double cheese burger & fry cravings because my gall bladder is acting up :(
Labor signs?: I get contractions all the time, but nothing timeable or too painful. I've also been getting random nausea, no fun.
Belly button in or out?: Still in!
What I miss: Eating whatever I want...stupid gallbladder had to ruin that for me. I snuck in some Marion's pizza on Sunday though :)
What I'm looking forward to: Getting our bathroom done! It'll be ready any day now!

Back from the doctor...

I had been experiencing really bad back pains that felt like they wrapped around to the upper part of my belly...that combined with shooting pains in my back were not a fun experience. I told my OB about what I was feeling and he immediately said it's my gallbladder. He told me I needed to rest with a heating pad and to cut out all greasy foods.

I don't typically eat a lot of greasy foods or fast food (since being pregnant), but for some reason I had major cravings for McDonald's and ate a double cheeseburger and fries for lunch 2 days in a row. I'm thinking that may have had something to do with it :) So now I'm just taking it easy and will go back to eating normally...no more McDonald's for me!

I'm still pretty uncomfortable today. I'm hoping I'll start to feel better soon because it's really very very very uncomfortable and pretty miserable. I only get relief when I lay in bed, which I obviously cannot do while I'm at work all day.

Other than that, the doctor's appointment went just fine! I'm still measuring on target, Sophia's heartbeat sounded good at 129 BPM, weight is right on par, and my blood pressure has been nice and low throughout my entire pregnancy -- something I worry about because my mom has had blood pressure problems from a very young age. I'm going in weekly now and my doctor said it's just a waiting game at this point, she can come whenever she feels like it!

36 weeks :: Sophia is the size of a crenshaw melon!

Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement.

At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely she's in a head-down position. But if she isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying she'll try to coax your baby into a head-down position by manipulating her from the outside of your belly.

How far along?: 36 weeks exactly

How big is baby?: Almost 6 pounds, oh my!

Maternity clothes?: I pretty much live in yoga pants and tanks...best thing ever.

Stretch marks?: Still none...keep crossing those fingers!

Sleep?: Still good! My hips were getting a bit sore so I started sleeping with my body pillow again, which helped.

Best moment this week?: Spending time with Jordan's family at Brianne's wedding reception. Nothing like summer nights by a bonfire :)

Movement?: She's not in my ribs quite as often, but when she does stick a foot in there it hurts so bad! She loves to roll around in there though.

Food cravings?: I had a major craving for brownie batter but didn't give into it because I figured raw eggs were probably not the best thing for baby!

Labor signs?: I thought I was going into labor on Friday! I had been really crampy since Thursday evening and it got worse on Friday. Then when I left work, I went to Hobby Lobby and started experiencing stop-me-in-my tracks, have to breathe through them contractions for almost an hour. I was about to call my doctor if I got one more but then they completely quit, thank goodness!

Belly button in or out?: Still in!

What I miss: Photography. I've taken a break from shooting (still editing though!) until after Sophia arrives and I miss it already.

What I'm looking forward to: Getting our bathroom finished! Still not done...hopefully within the next few days.

Well, after my little "labor" scare...I decided I needed to get myself into gear and get my hospital bag packed. I think I packed entirely way too much stuff...oh well! I think I'll take the car seat over to the fire station to make sure that it gets installed properly today too. Sophia, you're not allowed to come yet! Mommy & daddy aren't ready for you quite yet :)

I don't know why, but I just have this feeling that I'm not going to make it to my due date. I have been crampy since Thursday and my Braxton Hicks contractions are starting to get painful now. They were HORRIBLE on Friday. Of course I was out in public (alone) while all of this was happening...I kept having visions of myself running out of the store with my pants soaked and not making it to the hospital in time. Jordan has to come everywhere with me now...I refuse to go anywhere alone :)

Exactly ONE month...

That's right folks. Today is exactly 1 month until Sophia's due date. Honestly, this has felt like the longest pregnancy ever...I feel like I've been pregnant for years! I guess it's because we found out so soon? I'm just so ready to meet our daughter! We have some very eager grandparents who are ready to meet her as well :)

I haven't even begun reupholstering the antique chair for the nursery...I feel bad that I haven't done that yet. With our house literally a construction zone right now (our bathroom re-model isn't even almost done), Jordan working 50-60 hours a week and me working full-time and running my photography business it's just been put on the back burner. I'm not taking any new pictures of the nursery until that chair is done though! It's definitely girly :) I'll have pictures soon enough!

My OB told me that if I were to go into labor right now, he wouldn't try to stop it...so that was an eye opener! He says I'm measuring right where I should be, my weight gain has been "perfection", and he felt my belly for a minute and said that she was head down...which is a good thing! I'm terrified of having a C-section. I want to do it the old fashioned way (well, with pain killers hee-hee) and I've never even had surgery before. I just don't want the birth of our daughter to be the first time I ever have surgery. It's scary enough having a baby, let alone staying awake for a major surgery. Just some of the things I've been thinking about lately :)

I can't wait to meet you Miss Sophia! You're already so loved and you're not even here yet. Just give mama and daddy at least 2 more weeks because we want our home to be perfect for your arrival. For now, we're all patiently waiting :)

35 Weeks :: Sophia is the size of a honeydew melon!

Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon). Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

How far along?: 35 weeks exactly
How big is baby?: Over 5 pounds now, she's getting to be a chunker :)
Maternity clothes?: We're not discussing clothing options anymore, I hate everything on me at this point.
Stretch marks?: Still none...keep crossing those fingers!
Sleep?: I've been waking up on my back in the middle of the night for some reason the last week or so, makes me nervous when I do that. Sleep is good though!
Best moment this week?: Well, the bathroom isn't even almost finished (like we had planned) but we had a nice time hanging with family all day Sunday for Josh's 4th birthday!
Movement?: Lot's of rolling around going on in there! She still likes to sit up in my ribs every once in a while, it has gotten a little better though...hopefully she's dropped a bit!
Food cravings?: Love me some chocolate, still!
Labor signs?: Still just random Braxton Hicks Contractions, although now they're starting to feel more crampy rather than the balling up/tightening I was feeling before.
Belly button in or out?: I don't think it's ever going to pop!
What I miss: The pool. I've been dying to go and relax but we just haven't had the time.
What I'm looking forward to: Hopefully finishing up the bathroom re-model by this weekend. Those are high hopes :)

Well, our little "weekend bathroom renovation" didn't exactly go as planned. Jordan has been working about 50-60 hours a week and ended up working until 3:00 on Saturday so he didn't get very much time to work on the bathroom. Then on Sunday we had lots of family stuff going on, so he hardly got to work on it then either! He pretty much just got the old tile ripped up and the ugly plastic and chair rails off the walls. Whoever put up that ugly plastic that went 1/2 way up the wall used so much glue that it completely tore up the walls, so we're going to have to replace it with all new dry wall. Once we get the dry wall hung, we have to prime & paint (still debating colors), put in new flooring, replace the toilet and then we can finally install our new vanity (which I love!). Our goal is to get this all complete by the end of the weekend, we'll see if that happens :)

34 Weeks :: Sophia is the size of a cantaloupe!

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.

How far along?: 34 weeks, 1 day
How big is baby?: Almost 5 pounds, not quite though!
Maternity clothes?: I'm starting to get to that point where I hate all of my clothing. I had a little hissy fit on Sunday afternoon over what to wear. Hormones :)
Stretch marks?: Still none...keep crossing those fingers!
Sleep?: I've been very lucky with sleep with my pregnancy...no issues so far!
Best moment this week?: We shot a really elegant, beautiful wedding on Saturday...it was short & sweet! We also had a really nice time hanging out with Jordan's family all day Sunday afternoon. It was awesome to just relax for a couple hours!
Movement?: She beats me up!
Food cravings?: Still chocolate...especially chocolate fudge brownies
Labor signs?: Just the occasional Braxton Hicks contractions
Belly button in or out?: Still in! I can't believe it hasn't popped.
What I miss: Same as last week...being able to breath! Sophia still likes to stick a foot or a hand up in my ribs and it so incredibly uncomfortable.
What I'm looking forward to: Jordan is remodeling our bathroom this weekend! I've been wanting this for so long :)

My wedding season is officially over...Well, until September :) I need this break in order to catch up on everything that I'm so behind on. I swear there aren't enough hours in the day to get everything completed. I still need to get the antique chair reupholstered that we bought for Sophia's nursery and then her nursery will officially be complete! It's just sitting and waiting for her! I like to go in there sometimes and just look at everything...I can't wait to meet her.

I always wonder if she's going to get my blue eyes or Jordan's blonde streaks that he had as a baby...and I'm sure she'll inherit the crooked teeth that Jordan and I were both blessed with :) It's all starting to feel real now and I think it is for Jordan too. I'm just ready to get this show on the road now!

I did 4 SUPER loads of laundry of all of Sophia's clothes...I can't get over all of the clothes. I know she won't be able to wear them all though, so I guess I'm going to have to change her outfits several times through out the day so that I can see them all on her :) I CANNOT wait to put her in the little tu-tu that Kendra & Megan got for her...it's the cutest thing I've ever seen!

I have awesome co-workers!

They threw a shower for me on Monday at Bravo and I am so thankful :) They totally went above & beyond and got us the video monitor and the other stroller (almost like an umbrella stroller, but much nicer) we had registered for.

I am so grateful. We have the most awesome family & friends...the only thing that we have had to actually purchase ourselves was the stroller (which I've made many posts about, hee-hee) and we're going this weekend to get a pack-n-play. That's IT!

We are very, very lucky...thank you everyone! It means a lot to know we have such a great support system.